Women that have taken SSRI antidepressants
such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil during pregnancy may be at a
increased risk of their children having birth defects and health
problems. Recent studies have been linked SSRI Antidepressants
to birth defects and other health problems in babies including
persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN) or
developing a lung disorder, primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH).
In a recent study published in the New England Journal of
Medicine, women who took antidepressants in the third trimester
delivered babies who were six times more likely to have
persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) or
developing a lung disorder, primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH)
than babies not exposed to SSRIs.

A recent study on women who had been treated
with antidepressant drugs that act as selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) showed risks of SSRI medications
during pregnancy. This study focused on newborn babies with
persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), which is a serious and
life-threatening lung condition that occurs soon after birth of
the newborn. Babies with PPHN have high pressure in their lung
blood vessels and are not able to get enough oxygen into their
bloodstream. About 1 to 2 babies per 1000 babies born in the
U.S. develop PPHN shortly after birth, and often they need
intensive medical care. In this study PPHN was six times more
common in babies whose mothers took an SSRI antidepressant after
the 20th week of the pregnancy compared to babies whose mothers
did not take an antidepressant. The study, by Christina Chambers
and others, was published on February 9, 2006 in The New England
Journal of Medicine.

The finding of PPHN in babies of mothers who
used a SSRI antidepressant in the second half of pregnancy adds
to concerns coming from previous reports that infants of mothers
taking SSRIs late in pregnancy may experience difficulties such
as irritability, difficulty feeding and in very rare cases,
difficulty breathing. In addition, the labeling for paroxetine (Paxil)
was recently changed to add information about findings in an
epidemiology study suggesting that exposure to the drug in the
first trimester of pregnancy may be associated with an increased
risk of cardiac birth defects (see FDA Public Health Advisory
for Paxil dated December 8, 2005).

Women who are pregnant or thinking about
becoming pregnant should not stop any antidepressant without
first consulting their physician. The decision to continue
medication or not should be made only after there has been
careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks of the
medication for each individual pregnant patient. If the decision
is made to stop treatment with SSRIs before or during pregnancy,
this should be done with a healthcare professional, according to
the prescribing information for the drug, and patients should be
observed closely in case their depression comes back.

Texas Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH)
Attorney Jason Coomer commonly works with other SSRI Birth
Defect lawyers throughout Texas and the United States including
Houston Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN)
Lawyers, Boston SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defect Lawyers, San
Antonio Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN)
Lawyers, Dallas Defective Medication Lawyers, and other Austin
Dangerous Drug Attorneys. By sharing information and working
together, his law firm and other firms throughout Texas and the
United States are able to provide better representation for
there clients.

Primary Pulmonary
Hypertension (PPH) is a disorder of the lungs in which the
arteries are severely restricted, causing the blood pressure in
the pulmonary artery of the heart to rise to excessive levels.
Blood flow is restricted and oxygen levels in the blood are
suppressed.

Primary Pulmonary
Hypertension (PPH) is a rare disease in the statistical
sense, in that there are between one and two cases of
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH)
per million residents of the United States, which results in 300
new cases per year. However, recent studies show that
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) may
be more prevalent than once thought as many cases have
gone undiagnosed and the number of cases appear to be on the
rise.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN)
starts while the baby is in the womb. It is thought that the
SSRI antidepressants effect the baby's natural development.
During pregnancy circulation is handled by the placenta and does
not go through the lungs, but after birth, the baby's
circulation switches over from the ductus arteriosus (which now
closes) to the lungs. However, in a baby born with Persistent
Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN),
the ductus arteriosus stays open and the baby's blood flow
continues to bypass the lungs. Because the blood does not enter
the lungs, it returns to the heart very low in oxygen causing
serious health problems. The baby's organs, such as the brain,
kidneys and liver quickly become stressed due to lack of oxygen.
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns (PPHN)
is usually diagnosed within 12 hours of delivery.

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the
newborn (PPHN) is the result of elevated pulmonary vascular
resistance to the point that venous blood is diverted to some
degree through fetal channels (i. e. the ductus arteriosus and
foramen ovale) into the systemic circulation and bypassing the
lungs, resulting in systemic arterial hypoxemia.

This disorder can be classified into three
forms dependent on the likely etiology of the pulmonary
hypertension: PPHN associated with pulmonary parenchymal
disease, such as hyaline membrane disease, meconium aspiration,
or transient tachypnea of the newborn as the cause of alveolar
hypoxia known as secondary PPHN or appropriate PPHN alveolar
oxygen tension appears to be the major determinant of pulmonary
artery vasoconstriction. PPHN with radiographically normal lungs
and no evidence of parenchymal disease frequently called
Persistent Fetal Circulation (PFC), or primary or inappropriate
PPHN. PPHN associated with hypoplasia of the lungs most often in
the form of diaphragmatic hernia associated with an anatomic
reduction in capillary number in addition to the pathophysiology
listed above.

It is well established that
many large corporations have profited from selling toxic products or
products that cause toxic exposure without regard to the health
consequences of the products. Some of the most well known toxic
products are asbestos products and bad drugs. The asbestos products
have been found to cause mesothelioma and several forms of cancer
and other asbestos diseases, while dangerous drugs have been linked
to death, serious heart problems, drug interactions, and suicide.
Other dangerous products that have been linked to serious disease
include silica, chemical pollutants, lead, radon, EMFs,
welding rods,
toxic mold infestations
and other environmental toxins have caused death and serious harm to
millions. In the work environment alone undisclosed and known
toxins including asbestos, silica, and welding rods have caused
occupational diseases and fatalities including mesothelioma,
numerous forms of cancer, and Parkinson's disease.

This web site was created by Texas Toxic Tort Lawyer Jason
Coomer and is intended only as general information on some of the
most dangerous products and toxic products that have been sold by
drug manufacturers, medical device manufacturers, and asbestos
manufacturers, or are in use by large companies attempting to profit
and make money from the sale of dangerous products that can cause
serious toxic exposures. For more information on a dangerous
product or toxic exposure follow the links found above,
e-mail an inquiry to
info@toxicdoselaw.com,
or submit an inquiry.

This website provides basic
information on some well established toxins and some potential
toxins that are best to avoid. Overall, ToxicDoseLaw.com and
ToxicExposureLaw.com recommend using the precautionary principle by
minimizing exposure to potential toxins until they can be proven
nontoxic.

For more information on the ToxicDoseLaw.com or
ToxicExposureLaw.com information center, follow the links on this
website,
submit an inquiry,
email us at
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